Photo by Brittany Randolph | The Shelby Star
Hudson became a back-to-back winner of the Don Gibson Theater’s annual competition in late April.
SANDY RIDGE A decorated singer-songwriter is a new Stokes County resident.
Josh Ray Hudson and his wife Christina recently relocated to Sandy Ridge from Cleveland County, west of Charlotte. They came for a visit and liked it so much they moved here, Christina said.
On April 26, Hudson made history, winning the Don Gibson Theater’s Singer-Songwriter competition in Shelby for the second consecutive year.
The Cleveland County native won the 2021 competition with a song called “Silver Lining,” asking God for help during a particularly difficult time.
Ray Hudson wins songwriter contest for second time
For the first time in its history, the Don Gibson Singer Songwriter Symposium has been won by the same artist two years in a row.
Cleveland County native Ray Hudson won the 2021 contest, held last week in Shelby. He also won the contest in 2020, performing a ballad about his autistic son.
“Two fantastic songs he entered. They are, I would say, if you could get those in front of the right folks, they could be, should be, national hits,” said Stan Lowery, executive director of Don Gibson Theatre. “They are down to earth and speak to the soul as far as what he is singing about. I think that touches a lot of folks and that makes a great song.”
Don Gibson prepares for annual songwriter competition
For eight years the Don Gibson Theatre has celebrated the birth of its namesake by recognizing those just like him.
The annual Singer Songwriter Symposium is set to take place April 17 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest yet. Right now we have more entries than we ve had since we started the contest, said Stan Lowery, executive director of the Don Gibson Theatre.
As of Monday 46 artists have signed up for the contest. Lowery said they usually recieve between 30-35 entries.
The contest plays out similar to talent-based television shows. Artists who enter write and record their own original music, then perform their creation in front of a panel of judges for critique. At the end of the night, one artist or group will walk away with $1,000 in cash, and their music will be shared through local media outlets.